With the opening of the transfer window, it will be interesting to see if the SPL can keep hold of its players or whether ‘abandon ship’ will be the order of the day, and the window proves to be a one way street for the SPL teams. Once upon a time, whether your team was after a goal scorer or a defender, this month was the month that leagues could be won and relegation battles lost.
However, with money tight for all the SPL clubs, it appears that the excitement has gone from the football January sales. Long gone are the days when Celtic could bring in players in January such as Robbie Keane for £65,000 a week to try and capture the SPL crown. For SPL clubs, the transfer window was once an opportunity to strengthen their squads, now it seems that it is a chance to flog off the family silver just to keep the lights on. Quality will not be on the shopping list that’s for sure, as clubs first take a look at the price tag.
The problem for the SPL is how you sell a product that has no competition. The Championship is already won and there is no clear challenge now that Rangers have left. Dundee is as good as relegated which means there will be no Glasgow, Dundee and depending on Hearts financial problems, there may be no Edinburgh derby next season. This would leave the Scottish top flight without a main derby match.
A move to the SPL would be seen as an easy option or a stepping stone to a bigger and more competitive league for any player and you have to wonder would any player really be committed to the Scottish game. It is hard to see a creative player coming to ply his trade in the current SPL setup. Cost cutting is the rule that controls top flight Scottish football at the moment. Attendances are down with thousands of empty seats and TV viewing figure are nose diving as the quality of the product diminishes.
It is a shame that there has been very little excitement to the opening of the transfer window but it reflects the state of the game in the country. Scottish clubs are now in a fight for survival rather than bringing in new talent to freshen up the game. Once managers would have been shouting out that they need to strengthen during the window, but now all we hear is silence or the old excuse that the squad is strong enough.
Clubs no longer have the money to throw at players, and if a player does become available will the clubs still be brave enough to take the chance? The reality is that any player coming into the Scottish game will be on some form of loan deal rather than a permanent move. A reduction on the price usually means a drop in the quality.
Fans of the SPL will have to get used to watching the same player’s season after season and hope that their youth policy can throw up a few decent players, otherwise it will be the same tired old menu week after week and this will clearly have a knock on effect for season ticket and pricing next season.
Follow me on Twitter @Cyberted72.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/42143
http://rangersthefallandrise.wordpress.com/
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